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<title>Why do you build me up, buttercup baby by memory_bees</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26506990">Why do you build me up, buttercup baby</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/memory_bees/pseuds/memory_bees'>memory_bees</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>all of my fanfics in one place [20]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Outsiders - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Bad Decisions, Bad Exes, Bittersweet, Exes, I wrote this in under an hour, M/M, Past Relationship(s), So if it's bad that's why, i know like 2 ppl who will enjoy this so this is for y'all, idk man, no beta we die like men, sorry to everyone else who doesn't like my ships but still follows me fhjdksahflak</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 02:33:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>877</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26506990</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/memory_bees/pseuds/memory_bees</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>Just to let me down and mess around</em><br/>And then worst of all you never call baby<br/>When you say you will, but I love you still
</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Past Darrel Curtis/Original Male Character(s), Past Darrel Curtis/Paul Holden</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>all of my fanfics in one place [20]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1183928</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Why do you build me up, buttercup baby</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Title and summary from Tongue Tied by Tomtsu</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Darry didn’t miss Paul.</p>
<p>Paul Holden was a stuck up, mean, self-centered asshole. He was in a completely different stratosphere compared to him socially, and he didn’t miss him at all. He didn’t miss the secret dates when they were going to ‘practice’ but they really just drove way out into the country and kissed until Darry’s head was mush, he didn’t miss the horrible, disgustingly sweet way Paul’d run his hand along his jaw and call him overly love-filled names, and he <em> certainly </em> didn’t miss their fever dream of a plan to run away together once they graduated.</p>
<p>Alright. Darry Curtis wasn’t exactly known for being a good liar.</p>
<p>It was jarring, the way Paul left compared to how they were before. Paul was always so nice to him, but when he broke up with him he was cold. Darry had never thought Paul was anything like his father until then. His blue eyes were always surprisingly warm and his blond hair was like honey. He looked just like his mother, his eyes were almost exactly the same to hers. She was such a sweet woman, but his father was a cold businessman who thought anything besides numbers and phone calls was a waste of his time.</p>
<p>And the way Paul left too, was so jarring.</p>
<p>Darry had finally made the decision he was staying home after his parents died. And Paul just couldn’t get it. They’d been planning for so long! And he knew that <em>God</em>, did he know. But he couldn’t just kick Ponyboy and Sodapop to the curb, to some boys home that Ponyboy would never survive. He just <em>couldn’t</em> do that to them. And Paul acted like he was being selfish. Like he never really loved him. He tried to tell Paul how much it hurt, it still hurts, honestly, to not be able to live the rest of his life with him in the countryside with a dog. To not have their happily ever after. But Paul wasn’t listening.</p>
<p>He just. Left.</p>
<p>Darry was already cracking, but Paul made him crumble.</p>
<p>“Darry?”<br/>
<br/>
He jumped at the voice behind him. He whipped around, startled, but it was just Sodapop. Of course, Ponyboy was kicking it with Johnny, and Soda was waiting for Steve to pick him up so they could go out with their girls.</p>
<p>He cleared his throat and nodded at his brother, “Yeah? What did you need?”<br/>
<br/>
It was Sodapop’s turn to be startled by the sudden change in behavior, but he just smiled and asked, “Do you know where my other shoe is?”</p>
<p>Darry cocked an eyebrow then looked down, and sure enough, Sodapop’s left show was missing and his socked foot was on display. The sight made him laugh, despite his current sour mood. He gestured towards the coffee table in the living room and Soda ran to grab it, looked out the window, then right out the door.</p>
<p>And Darry was alone.</p>
<p>He sighed and looked back towards the dishes, his prune hands tired of scrubbing food off of plates. He turned off the sink, and it was silent. For a moment he wished Soda hadn’t gone out, at least there’d be background noise. He sighed roughly and blinked, and for that split second all he could see was blond hair and blue eyes and Paul Paul Paul. And he got a pit in his stomach when he realized he just didn’t want to be alone.</p>
<p>He didn’t want to be alone.</p>
<p>He certainly knew someone who’d distract him for an hour or two. But he already knew why he had broken up with him early in Junior year. But he also figured <em> anything </em>, even someone who maybe could learn how to not be so damn possessive and downright controlling would be better than being so horribly alone. He turned his head to look at the phone, contemplating his options. He should just go to his room and lay down, take a nap, and sleep off this awful mood he’s been in.</p>
<p>But then he’s got the phone up to his ear and he’s dialing.</p>
<p>And the phone’s ringing.</p>
<p>And he’s got a deep, rough voice in his ear.</p>
<p>“Anthony, what d’ya need?”</p>
<p>Darry swallowed the rest of his doubts and said, “Hey, Anthony. It’s Darry.”</p>
<p>A little chuckle and he heard a shift, leaning into the phone as if they were face to face, “Awe, c’mon, did ya think I’d forget your voice? What d’ya need?”</p>
<p>A deep inhale, steeling his nerves, “Do you wanna meet up? I’m free.”</p>
<p>He could practically hear the smirk in his face, “What time?”</p>
<p>Darry glanced at the clock, counting to the hours in his head, and he said five o’clock. They agreed on the place and hung up. He swallowed, leaned against the side table the phone was on, then went to go write a note giving an excuse for why he was gone if anyone got home before he did. He set it out on the table then went to go get ready.</p>
<p>This was probably a bad decision.</p>
<p>Definitely a bad decision.</p>
<p>At least he wasn’t going to have to know that Paul hated him and took pride in the fact that he was still into him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>idk, should i continue this???? lemme know</p>
<p>--</p>
<p>follow me on <a href="sunny-gnelf.tumblr.com">tumblr</a> for more kinda sad gay shenanigans or maybe shoot me a message on discord instead (Mom Friend#2371)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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